Author: Rick Mc

“Stretching”

2-piece origami model by Ayako Kawate. Folded by Michael Sanders

larger original – flickr

larger original – flickr

We often link to Tyler Hass and his Elite Rings product, most often via RingTraining.com … a great site.

I was confused the other day by another site called TrainingRings.com, an understandable mistake, I thought. It’s similar. Geared for general fitness, not for the competitive gymnast.

Training Rings is your resource for exercising with gymnastic style training rings. Training with rings is an incredibly diverse method of exercising, that builds muscle, and considerably improves strength and endurance. This method of exercising is increasing in popularity as the word spreads on just how effective it can be.

Some rings videos were posted but the YouTube videos did not play for me.

TrainingRings.com looks like it could be good. But as a resource for coaches and athletes, it’s still in the development stage at this point.

NCAA Nebraska Assistant Coach Chuck Chmelka spots Felge (aka Peach Basket, or Peach) on P Bars.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s been decades since the last time I used a belt. But this one works very well for Peach and Giant.

Related post: Nebraska Mens Gymnastics

Defy Gravity – flickr

It’s a truism that many elite female gymnasts disappear from the sport while most male gymnasts seem to stay involved after they retire. Every coach has theories why so many girls want nothing to do with gymnastics after they “quit”.

Now coach Lukas Stritt is circulating an interesting study done by David Lavallee and Hannah K. Robinson at Loughborough University, School of Sport and Exercise Science, in the UK. Available online since 14 July 2006.

Though only 5 ex-gymnasts were studied, the conclusions are scary. And they ring true to me.

… Results revealed that participants had been encouraged to dedicate their lives to gymnastics and were, as a result, left feeling lost and helpless when they retired. After prematurely adopting an identity based solely on their role as a gymnast, many of the participants knew little about who they were and what they wanted to do with their lives, and were consequently forced to distance themselves from their past in order to establish a new identity apart from gymnastics. For those whose felt a constant external pressure to strive for excellence during their career, this process was particularly challenging and has lasted, in some cases, for the duration of their retirement. Distress can be avoided by engaging in pre-retirement planning from a very young age and subsequently maintaining control of the transition out of gymnastics by reducing participation gradually and finding a meaningful replacement.

abstract – In pursuit of an identity: A qualitative exploration of retirement from women’s artistic gymnastics

There is a serious problem in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics that is not so problematic in other women’s acrobatic sport. The drop-out rate is far too high. Our best kids often quit for no good reason.

Coaches need to do much, much better at finding ways to motivate teenage gymnasts. We cannot keep coaching using the same methodology that worked so effectively when the girls were age-10.

For most coaches, dealing with the ups-and-downs of teenage girls requires more skill and tact than anything else they do in the gym. I much admire those coaches who are good at it.

stock.xchng – gymnast – photo by melodi2

The full article is available for sale through the link. Or contact Lukas through his website if you want him to email it to you.

Lukas Stritt is a Swiss born sport scientist now living in St. John’s, Canada who consults and lectures in:

Training Programs

Physiological Testing Services

Biomechanical and Technical Analysis

Postural Assessment and Analysis

Psychological Skills Training

Nutritional Counselling

Lukas Stritt – official website

He’s also a gymnast. Luke Stritt preparing to vault in competition at the Canadian National Championships in 2006 in Quebec City.

If you are a member of Facebook, you can see a larger version – Facebook | Trip Lewis’ Photos – Gymnastics Pictures

Related post – poem for a departed gymnast – Charlie Amerosa

The 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture Design Contest International Tour is traveling the world.

Among a total of 2,450 sculptures submitted from 82 countries, 386 were finally nominated and 290 excellent pieces were confirmed.

Olympic Landscape Sculpture: Photos of New Zealand Exhibition « BEIJING OLYMPIC SCULPTURE NEWS

Another look at that one:

in New Zealand

(via BBC )

Click PLAY or watch her on YouTube.

Courtney Kupets – Georgia – vs LSU

(via Gym Chat)

No doubt we’ll see some very creative commercials leading up to the Games.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That’s 7′ 6″ (2.29 m) Yao Ming with him.

(via Beijing Olympic Games)

Look who has quietly climbed to 4th position on GymInfo:

full list

Always a contender, it’s time people start talking about how high U-M can finish this year.

They are a perfect 9-0 with some serious numbers. Congratulations to Head Coach Beverly Plocki and everyone on the team.

larger original – flickr – HologramOfLife

Michigan Women’s Gymnastics

What would coach Dave Adlard of Funtastics Gymnastics, Idaho have to say?

(Leave a comment below if you can fill in the blank.)

I’ll be out, as usual, for Dave’s competition Feb. 22-24th – the Great West Gym Fest.

Slightly more famous celebrities attending include Linda Metheny-Mulvihill (1964, 68, 72 Olympics), Joyce Tanac-Schroeder (68 Olympics), Stoyan Deltchev (80 Olympics), Shannon Miller (92, 96 Olympics), Jaycie Phelps-McClure (96 Olympics), Carly Patterson (2004 Olympic Champion) and David Durante, 2007 National Champion.